Refrigerating apparatus



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.'

. R. R. GRAP.

REPRIGERATING APPARATUS.

No. 402,520. Patented Apr. 30., 1889...

WJZWESSES N. PETERS, Fhnlouihngrnpher. Wuhington, 0.0.

(No Model.) v 3, Sheefs-8heet 2.

R. R. GRAP. REFRIGBRA'TING APPARATUS. No..402,520. Patented-Apr. 30, 1889..

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, n PETERS, mowmwgn mr, Wmhingion. m c

3Sheets-Shee1i 3.

(-No Model.)

R. R. GRAF. REPRIGERATI'NG APPARATUS.

No. 402,520.. Patented Apr. 30, 1889..

WIZWESSES;

N. 1 mins} mmumn n w, Wuhinglun. Dvc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBERT RUDOLPH GRAF, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,ASSIGNOR TO HENRY C. TURNBULL, JR., TRUSTEE, ()F SAME PLACE.

REFRIG ERATING APPARATUS.

1 SPEGIFIGATIONfor-ming part of- Letters Patent No. 402,520, dated April 30, 1889.

Application filed October 8, 1888. Serial No. 287,463. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known "that 1, ROBERT RUDOLPH GRAF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it app'ertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to that class in which air is caused to circulate over and come in contact with a suitable cooling-surface preferably in this instance of aseries of coiled'or convoluted pipe containing a brine cooled by refrigerant chemicals.

The object of this invention is to produce a refrigerator which will keep the air within the same at the desired low degree of temperature at but a "small expense; furthermore, to produce a refrigerating apparatus in which perishable articlessuch as meats and fruits-and malt liquorssuch as beeror ale may be kept for an indefinite period, and more particularly the perishable articles, by reason of the constantly-cooled air brought in contact with the same; furthermore, to produce a cheap, efficient, and desirable refrigerator.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of a refrigerator, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification,illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I have illustrated one form of refrigerator adapted for use in a restaurant, althoughthe same principle may be applied to refrigerators for household use without in the least departing from the spirit thereof.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of a refrigerator, showing the tank for containing the refrigerant chemicals, the coiled pipe,

and the pump connecting with the ends of the pipe to force a liquid through the pipe. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator, showing the auxiliary chamber secured thereto. tional View taken on the line :10 00 of Fig. Fig. 2, showing the construction and operation of the auxiliary chamber; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tank holding the refrigerant chemicals, showing the '60.

pipe coiled within the same.

Heretofore many attempts have been made to construct a refrigerator by placing in a suitable casing a series of coiled pipes filled with water or other liquid in direct contact with blocks of ice. This has been found to be only partially successful, in that great difficulty has been experienced in keeping the temperature of the refrigerating-chamber at the desired degree, for when the vice becomes reduced in bulk the amount of cold given out is inadequate to lower the temperature of the, water or liquid within the coils to the desired degree, and as a result the temperature in the refrigerator would rise above the point neces- 7 5 sary for the preservation of perishable articles. Moreover, as the water or liquid in the coils remained stationary and did not circulate so as to be presented at different times to greater degrees of cold, it has been found em: to

the result was not as desirable as were tin ordinary means adoptedthat is, I the ice in the top of the r "ri lowing the air to circulate around the same.

It is the object of this inventimr to over 8 come these obstacles by causltig a co circulation of any suitable liquid, bu p bly in this instance of a brine, throug a series of coils which encircle the exterior and are coiled within the interior of a box or tank containing suitable refrigerant chemicals, whereby a constantly-cooled surface is presented to the air within the refrigerator.

By referring to the accompanying drawin gs it will be seen how I accomplish this result, 5

ner wall, 2, and an outer wall, 3, and between these walls is placed any suitable non-conducting substance-as, for example, sawdust Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sec- 55 or asbestus. The casing is also provided with suitable doors, by means of which ready access may be had both to the refrigeratingchamler 3 and the cold-air chamber 4 below the same.

Vithin the refrigerating-chamber is placed a box or tank, 5, which. is by preference constructed of metal, and which rests upon a partition, 6, separating the upper and lower chambers, the said partition being made, preferably, of either a metallic grating or of a foraminous material. The top of the box is provided with an opening through which the refrigerant chemicals are supplied to the interior of the said box, the opening being closed by means of a cap, 7, to exclude the entrance of air. Around this box is coiled a pipe, 8, the ends of which extend through the wall of the casing and connect with a forcepump, 9. One end of the pipe connects with the pump at 10, from which point it extends around the box and then enters the same at the top, as shown at 1], and passes through the box, either in the form of a coil, as shown in Fig. 4, 0r diagonally across to the lower side, as shown in Fig. 1 at 12, from which point it passes down to and connects with the pump at 13. As this force-pump may be of any con struction, it is not thought necessary to enter into a detailed description of the same, but

simply illustrate the manner in which it opcrates.

The brine is first admitted to a tank, 13, below the pump, through a pipe, 14:, which connects with a receptacle holding the said brine, and when filled the cock 1i is closed. The pump is then started, and the brine is forced from the tank through the pipe 8 (which, as before stated, encircles the exterior and is coiled within the interior of the same) and back to the tank again. As the brine passes through that portion of the pipe within the refrigerant compound it becomes cooled-that is, whatever heat it may have absorbed while circulating through the exterior coil is withdrawn, and by the time it has reached the tank it is at its lowest temperature. As the brine is caused to circulate continuously, a constantly-cooled surface is presented to the air in the refrigeratingchamber, and as the air becomes cooled it will, from the force of gravity, sink to the cold-air chamber 4, and the air in that chamber will, by'the law of displacement, be forced into the upper chamber, where it is again chilled and then sinks to thelower chamber, thus equalizing the temperature throughout the refrigerator.

In order to present a desirable refrigerator, it is necessary to so arrange the interior of the cold-air chamber that the articles placed in the same may be brought -within convenient reach without any great amount of trouble. In order to accomplish this,a vertical shaft, 15, is mounted within standards 16 and 1'7, secured to the bottom and top of the cold-air chamber. As will be seen, the

in g operated.

standards are provided with cone-shaped bearings 18, in which the cone-shaped point 10 of the shaft 15 rests. Upon this shaft, and preferably at its center, is mounted a revoluble table, 20, which is by preference rigidly secured to the vertical shaft. Upon the under side of this table is secured a rack, 21, extending entirely around the said table and on a line with its periphery. This rack is designed to be engaged by a pinion, 22, secured to a shaft, 23, mounted in suitable bearings formed in the side of the refrigerator. On the outer end of this shaft 23 is secured a crank, 24, which admits of the said pinion be On the opposite side of the chamber to that on which the crank is mounted is secured, in a suitable bracket, 24, another pinion, 25, designed to support the table on that side. Thus by turning the crank the table. may be moved around so as to bring any article within convenient reach.

Upon the top of the shaft, and by preference immediately below the partition separating the cold-air chamber and the refrigerating-chamber, are secured arms 26, carrying a number of hooks, 27, upon which fresh meats or game may be hung. It is to be understood that any number of the tables 20 may be used, and in order to insure aperfect circulation of air they are perforated, as shown in Fig. 3 at 28, so that the cold air may circulate freely from the top to the bottom, and vice versa.

As before stated, the refrigerator herein described is designed more particularly for use in restaurants, and as it is desirable to keep malt liquorssuch as barreled beer-within the refrigerator an auxiliary chamber is provided for this purpose. This chamber consists of two curved portions or doors, 29 and 30, which fit and move within casings 31, secured upon the back of the cold-air chamber. To each of these portions or doors, and on the end which works within the casing 31, are secured metallic strips 31, secured at their inner ends to movable sections or doors 32 and 33, sliding in casings 34 and 35, formed on or secured to the walls of the cold-air chamber.

The object for having the sections or doors 32 and 33 is that when it is desired to open the auxiliary chamber for the purpose of placing beer therein the said sections will be closed, thereby preventing the escape of cold air from the cold-air chamber. It will be readily seen how this is accomplished, for when the curved doors to the auxiliary chamber are drawn apart the metallic strips 31 will force the sections 32 and 33 in toward each other, which, meeting at the center, effectually prevent the escape of cold air. As soon as the curved doors are drawn together, the curved sections will be drawn back, and thus open communication between the coldair chamber and the auxiliary chamber.

\Vhen this refrigerator is to be placed in'a cellar, the beer may be drawn from the barrel through a pipe, 34, which extcmlstlnrough the floor and to spigots behind the bar or counter. If desired, bottled beer or other spirituous liquors may be placed in the refrigcrating-chamber, thus leaving the lower part of the refrigerator for the use of perishable articles alone.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description how this refrigerator operates, and it will be seen readily that while it is comparatively simple of construction it will be found of the highest efficiency and durability in use, and may be used for the purposes named at a less expenditure and with better results than were ice alone used.

l-Iavingthus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a refrigerator, the combination of a receptacle containing refrigerant chemicals,

and aliquid-containing pipe surrounding the exterior and extending through the interior of the receptacle, substantially as described;

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of a receptacle containing refrigerant chemicals, a liquid-containing pipe coiled around the ex-' terior and within the'interior of the recepta-. cle, and a pump connecting with the ends of the pipe to force a liquid through the same. substantially as described.

3. In a refrigerator, the combination, with the refrigerating-chamber, of a receptacle containing refrigerant chemicals, a tank containing brine, a pump on the tank, and a pipe coiled around the exterior and within the interior of the receptacle, the ends of which pipe connect with the pump, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

- 4. The combination,witha refrigerator having a cylindrical form and constructed with an inner and an outer wall, of curved doors sliding between the said walls, a semi-cylindrical auxiliary chamber on the refrigerator, curved sliding doors between the walls of the said chamber moving on the same horizontal plane as the doors of the refrigerator, and flexible metallic strips confined between the walls of the refrigerator and auxiliary chamber and connecting the two sets of doors, whereby when one set is opened the other set will be closed, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT RUDOLPH GRAF.

Witnesses:

D. H. EMORY, JNo. N. EMORY. 

